Josh Young

If projections hold, the global eLearning market will exceed $240 million by 2023. Much of this growth is anticipated to occur in the United States as well as the Asia-Pacific region as compliance training efforts grow more robust to keep pace with shifting regulatory requirements and market expansion.

There’s a strong possibility that your corporate compliance program is part of this trend, allocating budget each year to oversee either a home-grown or vendor-supported training program. But is this money well spent? You might be asking yourself:

• Is the platform you chose right for your business?
• Are processes being followed?
• Are ethical violations few and far between?
• Are employees more aware of how they communicate?

If problems persist despite your compliance training efforts, you might need to rethink how you handle online training.

What Could Be Wrong with Your eLearning Program?

It’s too long

Shorter, more focused training sessions are always better. In a 2014 survey,94 percent of learning professionals claimed that e-learners preferred short-form modules— courses lasting 10 minutes or less — for soft skills training. And 65 percent of those surveyed stated that on average, online training sessions present too much new information at one time, often overwhelming the user.

Consider an eLearning platform that employs microlearning or burst learning techniques — short, single topic training sessions that can be spaced out over time.

It’s inconvenient for users

If your eLearning program isn’t designed to support just-in-time training, reconsider when and how you disseminate important information. Shorter courses make it easier to find critical data — rather than hunting through an hour-long video lecture for the required detail, users can pull up the appropriate module quickly and easily.

Similarly, for processes or procedures that occur infrequently (e.g., once a quarter), your business can push out a microlearning course the week before, offering everyone a quick refresher.

You should also consider a platform that offers mobile support. One study conducted by Towards Maturity CIC,found that 67 percent of eLearning students use mobile devices to access training courses.

When your employees are able to control when and how they consume training content, they’re more likely to choose the time and setting that best works for them, leading to better retention and a more successful learning outcome.

It’s not engaging

Online learning lends itself to gamification and other tools specifically designed to more actively engage the learner, but too few programs employ these innovations. If your eLearning program consists of a series of hour-long lectures recorded in the company’s conference room, you’re doing it wrong.

Use a platform that requires learners to interact with the content, such as having the user complete a matching game before proceeding to the next session. Or have them take a quiz at the end of the module, posting scores to a team leaderboard.

And if you do employ videos, opt for dynamic content that changes the outcome based on employee input.

It’s isolated from other learnings

Research suggests that the isolation common to online learning programs can potentially alienate learners or at least minimize their engagement in the training. However, by incorporating social elements into the program, you can encourage active participation, leading to better retention.

If your business already has an internal social platform or company chat rooms, incorporate these tools into the learning program. Pose questions related to the current training subject and promote discussions that expand on common topics. Alternately, set up open meeting times or allot time within existing meetings to discuss training topics in a group format.

When your staff feel that their voices are being heard, they are more likely to fully engage and take to heart whatever information you are trying to convey.

The Next Step

When done right, eLearning can prove to be a powerful tool for your business, but when done wrong, it can be a waste of time and money that places your company at increased risk.

To make sure that your training sessions are successful, employ an eLearning platform and strategy that is:

• Engaging: built with interactive content that draws in active participation
• Applicable: uses real-world scenarios and actual examples
• Personalized: reflects the unique tone and needs of your business
• Current: updated to account for shifting legislative requirements